Pryor's Place

Last updated
Pryor's Place
Pryorsplace titlescreen.jpg
Genre Children's television series
Comedy
Created by
Starring Richard Pryor
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Running time25 minutes
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseSeptember 15 (1984-09-15) 
December 8, 1984 (1984-12-08)

Pryor's Place is an American children's television series that aired for one season in 1984 on CBS. The live-action series starred comedian Richard Pryor. [1]

Contents

Overview

Despite a reputation for profanity from Richard Pryor, Pryor's Place was aimed at children. Like Sesame Street , Pryor's Place featured a cast of puppets hanging out and having fun in a friendly inner-city environment, along with several children and characters portrayed by Pryor himself.

The theme song was performed by Ray Parker Jr. [2] of Ghostbusters fame, who also appeared in the show's opening credits. The show was also fitted with a laugh track.

Pryor's Place was broadcast on Saturdays on CBS (at 11:30 AM Eastern/10:30 AM Central) from September 15 to December 8, 1984, with repeats airing until June 15, 1985. [3] It was replaced with reruns of another Krofft show, Land of the Lost . Four VHS videotapes of the show were released between September 1997 and June 1998 by Rhino Entertainment, each containing one episode of the series. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Episodes

No.TitleOriginal air date
1"High Noon at 5:30 P.M."September 15, 1984 (1984-09-15)
Main character Richie (ostensibly Pryor as a child) is challenged to an afterschool showdown by Meatrack, the neighborhood bully.
2"To Catch a Little Thief"September 22, 1984 (1984-09-22)
In the series pilot, Richie shoplifts a basketball to join a street gang...but the gang instead leaves him at the mercy of an angry pawnshop-owner and the police.
3"Love Means Never Being Sorry You Didn't Say It"September 29, 1984 (1984-09-29)
Richie’s painful first romance with a classmate.
4"Voyage to the Planet of the Dumb"October 6, 1984 (1984-10-06)
Richie and three ambitious peers ditch school to meet with Joe, a shady talent agent who also happens to own the local video arcade...and who teaches these four young dropouts the value of education, by magically transporting them to a distant planet whose very atmosphere saps points from its denizens' IQs.
5"Close Encounters of…"October 13, 1984 (1984-10-13)
Richie tries to get a fuzzy alien home.
6"Sax Education"October 20, 1984 (1984-10-20)
After misplacing a saxophone which a friend left in his care, Richie must raise $300 to buy a replacement. He and Wally hold a garage sale, which soon turns into a counterfeit-autograph operation. However, when Wally proves to be hardly the world's greatest name-speller (as that baseball signed by "Ron Sey" will verify), the boys' scheme collapses around their ears faster than Richie can say "Lee Israel".
7"Readers of the Lost Art"October 27, 1984 (1984-10-27)
Richie and Wally think reading is uncool.
8"Divorce Children’s Style"November 3, 1984 (1984-11-03)
Divorce sometimes happens, but what does it do to the kids involved?
9"The Kimosabe Blues"November 10, 1984 (1984-11-10)
A feud between Richie and Wally threatens not only their friendship but also their grade on a joint school project.
10"The Showoff"November 17, 1984 (1984-11-17)
Richie is terrified to perform in front of his first audience.
11"Cousin Rita"November 24, 1984 (1984-11-24)
Wally gets a crush on Richie's teenage cousin.
12"Home Free"December 1, 1984 (1984-12-01)
Amanda reveals a traumatic incident from her past to Richie.
13"Too Old Too Soon, Too Smart Too Late"December 8, 1984 (1984-12-08)
Richie's mother insists that he spend a whole day with his Uncle Mose...although, being Richie, he would much rather attend a local public appearance by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Cast

Guest stars

Recurring cast

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References

  1. Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 352. ISBN   978-0823083152 . Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  2. Retrojunk.com - Pryor's Place (intro)
  3. TV Party - Saturday Mornings 1984
  4. Vol. 1 at AllMovie
  5. Vol. 2 at AllMovie
  6. Vol. 3 at AllMovie
  7. Vol. 4 at AllMovie